"Smoking is harmful to your health." Miao Jing rarely spoke to him with such seriousness. "Smoking causes an 80% lung cancer rate, along with chronic coughing, vascular hardening, coronary artery issues, damage to the liver, bones, and reproductive function. It makes you stink and accelerates aging."
"Early aging is good—the older, the more charming. Besides, I shower two or three times a day. Where's the stink?" He propped his arm over his eyes. "Get me a cleaner bar of soap. After showering, I feel smooth and smell like flowers. It's awful."
Miao Jing scratched her cheek. "Isn't there soap on the shelf?"
"Is that soap or perfume soap? People lean in close to sniff me and say I'm effeminate."
"There's no smell." Miao Jing lifted her hand to sniff herself. "Who would lean in to smell you?"
"Women, of course. Their noses are sharper than dogs'. They can't smell their own perfume, but they're sharp when it comes to me." Chen Yi frowned, leisurely blowing a smoke ring. "Thank goodness you at least didn't get me milk soap."
Miao Jing's brow furrowed slightly. She pursed her lips, her gaze drifting sideways with a flick. "Oh, the woman who calls you every morning? The one who picks you up for work?"
He clicked his tongue, thinking for a moment. "How about finding a girlfriend?"
Miao Jing's hands paused briefly, her tone inexplicably heavier. "Sure, whatever you want."
Chapter 24: Becoming a Wild Wolf Forced to Return Home at Night
Beyond her heavy academic load, Miao Jing occasionally felt anxious, bewildered, lonely, and somewhat confused by things she couldn't quite grasp.
Before she could figure it out, traces of women began appearing around Chen Yi—he carried the scent of perfume, someone chatted with him on long phone calls, and gifts were sent his way.
It wasn't entirely new; back in middle school, Chen Yi had been popular. During his vocational high school years, rebellious girls liked gathering around him to surf the internet, chat, and play games. Sometimes, when she and Dai Mao went downstairs to find Chen Yi, Miao Jing couldn't recall what she was doing then—perhaps still withdrawn in her shell—but her feelings weren't as peculiar as they were now.
The winter break offered a half-month holiday. After Chen Yi graduated, he no longer needed Miao Jing to brainstorm ways to earn money. Their roles were clear: he provided funds and handled rough work, while she took care of meticulous household chores. As the New Year approached, they prepared holiday goods and bought new clothes for both of them. In a bustling clothing market, Miao Jing saw a girl reflected in a large mirror—her features plain, her clothes simple and bulky.
Although she attended a key high school, there were plenty of pretty and dazzling girls around. Many had started learning makeup and experimenting with hairstyles. Even in the science stream, girls around her would apply a bit of shiny lip gloss and discuss clothing coordination and various beautiful, delicate trinkets.
Chen Yi's teasing remark about her "looking like a noodle" stuck in Miao Jing's mind. After hesitating for a long time, she tried on a light-colored woolen dress with a slightly flared, fitted waist that reached her knees, revealing smooth, slender legs. The dress's quality wasn't great, but her youth and freshness made it work. Hesitantly, she bought the dress and then spent twenty yuan at a small shop on a lipstick. The clothing purchase came with a pair of black pantyhose, but Miao Jing had never worn them before and found it odd. Winters in Tengcheng weren't too harsh; some girls went out bare-legged. She thought she could manage without them too.The first time she wore this dress was during the Spring Festival when she went to the amusement park with Chen Yi. It wasn’t just the two of them—Bo Zai and several others were there too. Unexpectedly, a new face appeared: a stunningly beautiful young woman with eyelashes as thick as fans, exuding flawless elegance from head to toe. Her makeup made it hard to guess her actual age. Her tight sweater hugged her curves, with a large cutout revealing a snowy expanse of skin at her chest. She wore a rose-red full skirt, black stockings, and high heels, instantly overshadowing Miao Jing and rendering her dull in comparison. Of course, Chen Yi’s gaze might have completely overlooked Miao Jing. The woman’s heels were so high that she clung delicately to Chen Yi’s arm, seemingly uninterested in others but fond of whispering into his ear.
Miao Jing teamed up with Bo Zai, riding the Ferris wheel, merry-go-round, bumper cars, and pirate ship. Chen Yi, with his arm wrapped around the woman’s slender waist, looked like a conjoined twin with her, both wearing ambiguous smiles. As Miao Jing sat high up in the Ferris wheel, she could turn her head and see people kissing in the adjacent cabin—scandalous and shameless. Bo Zai chuckled and remarked that Yi Ge had finally given away his first kiss. A cold wind swept in, chilling Miao Jing’s slender, numb legs with a cramp-like pain.
Later, when they ate together, the guys drank and smoked, while Miao Jing was seated next to the woman for conversation. The beautiful woman glanced indifferently at Miao Jing and asked if she was Chen Yi’s sister. Miao Jing nodded. The woman casually remarked that without blood ties, she couldn’t really be considered a sister. Tapping her long, manicured nails on her phone screen, she suddenly seemed to remember something, turned to look at Miao Jing, scanning her from head to toe with an unreadable smile.
Miao Jing fell silent, her fingers icy and curled inward. Chen Yi happened to look up and noticed her pale face and bluish lips. She wasn’t wearing a coat, unusually dressed in a pale yellow color, like an unopened leaf in spring, her shoulders appearing particularly frail. He took off his own jacket and tossed it over her, telling her to put it on.
She bundled up in the oversized garment, but the woman had already thrown herself into Chen Yi’s arms, giggling about how warm he was. Chen Yi took a drag from his cigarette, pulled her closer into his embrace, and blew a smoke ring with a smile.
After the meal, as they headed home, there was a hint of reluctance. The woman seemed intent on following them back, and Chen Yi vaguely considered agreeing. Hesitating, he spotted Miao Jing waiting by the roadside, her hair loose and her small face expressionless, her eyes wide with confusion. She didn’t look happy at all, wrapped in his jacket with her arms crossed, the long sleeves dangling past her fingertips and the hem reaching mid-thigh, revealing a hint of the curled pale yellow skirt. Her legs were slender and straight, flawlessly white to the point of being dazzling. It struck him then—how had she become so pale? He’d always remembered her as a scrawny, sallow kid.
For some inexplicable reason, Chen Yi didn’t nod in agreement and took Miao Jing home instead. On the way, he asked if she liked that woman. Miao Jing replied expressionlessly, “What does it have to do with me?” Stumped by her retort, Chen Yi felt his sleeve brush against her knee—cold and smooth—and belatedly asked why she wasn’t wearing pants. Miao Jing slapped his hand hard, shifted away, stubbornly biting her lip without a word.
Even a fool could tell she was in a mood. As for why she was upset, only Chen Yi could figure that out.That pretty girl later came to the house twice looking for Chen Yi, secretly surveying the home where only two people lived. Chen Yi wasn't very guarded at that time—this being his first interaction with the opposite sex—and ended up telling her everything. The girl learned that Chen Yi was raising a burden, and her attitude toward Miao Jing became subtly condescending. Miao Jing maintained an indifferent expression, voluntarily went out to avoid them, and didn't return home even after dark.
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